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The new tool will allow theater personnel to quickly report piracy in progress by typing in information on smartphones or tablets.

HONG KONG – Movie theater staff across the Asia-Pacific region are now just several smartphone or tablet taps away from the representatives of their local Motion Picture Association branch whenever they observe cases of illegal video recording in their cinemas.

Using the mobile app, called MAD4 – abbreviated from "Make A Difference” – theater managers and their teams will be able to type in information about camcording incidents through an online reporting platform. The data will then be available to MPA officials for follow-up action or investigation. The MPA announced the new utility at the CineAsia trade fair in Hong Kong on Dec. 12.

Ashish Saksena, CEO of Indian exhibitor Big Cinemas said in a statement on behalf of the MPA’s effort: “We have been given to understand that more than 90% of newly released movies that appear illegally on the Internet and on the streets around the world originate from illegal copies being made in cinemas… The MAD4 application is a great new tool ensuring that all staff will know what needs to be done to prevent illegal recordings being made in cinemas.”

The application also includes training videos and other resources that can be used to instruct theater employees about what to do when they witness illegal recording of films, and the impact of such acts on the film industry in general, the association said in its press release.